Gravely Speaking

Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois

Not far from the Chalmers’ Monument in the Graceland Cemetery at Chicago, Illinois, is a plain obelisk with four bronze plaques, one on each side of the marker, that marks the grave of Allan Pinkerton, his wife Joan, and his two sons, Robert and William.  Allan founded the first detective agency in the world and at the same time created a new profession.  His detective agency’s motto “We Never Sleep” was emblazoned underneath an eye that stared straightforward.

His many accomplishments, for the barrel maker turned private dick, are proudly listed on his tombstone except what may have been his literary legacy—detective story writer.  In his later years, Pinkerton wrote over a dozen books and more than 30 short stories—a ways with the detective as the hero in pulp fiction stories like, “The Hard Life of the Detective” and “A Bit of Detective Office Romance.”

IN MEMORY OF

ALLAN PINKERTON.

BORN IN GLASGOW, SCOTLAND,

AUGUST 25^TH, 1819,

DIED IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

JULY 1^ST., 1884,

AGED 65 YEARS.

A FRIEND TO HONESTY

AND A FOE TO CRIME.

DEVOTING HIMSELF FOR A GENERATION TO THE PREVENTION AND DETECTION OF CRIME IN MANY COUNTRIES, HE WAS THE FOUNDER IN AMERICA OF A NOBLE PROFESSION.  IN THE NOUR OF THE NATION’S PERIL, HE CONDUCTED ABRAHAM LINCOLN SAFELY THROUGH THE RANKS OF TREASON TO THE SCENE OF HIS FIRST INAUGUARATION AS PRESIDENT.  HE SYMPATHIZED WITH, PROTECTED AND DEFENDED THE SLAVES, AND LABORED EARNESTLY FOR THEIR FREEDOM.  HATING WRONG, AND LOVING GOOD, HE WAS STRONG, BRAVE, TENDER AND TRUE.

WILLIAM J. CHALMERS    JULY 10, 1852—DEC. 10, 1938

JOAN P. CHALMERS    JULY 22, 1855—JAN. 25, 1940

THOMAS STUART CHALMERS    SEPT. 21, 1881—MAR. 26, 1923

The Chicago-based Graham, Anderson, Probst, & White Architectural Firm, at one time the largest in the United States, took many types of commissions including design work for cemetery monuments.  The Chalmers Monument, in 1924, in the Graceland Cemetery at Chicago, Illinois, is an example of the neo-classical designs that helped make the firm famous.

Many recognize the name Chalmers from the orange tractors that bore the name—Allis-Chalmers.  The Allis-Chalmers tractors came about when Fraser and Chalmers, a manufacturing company that produced mining equipment, merged with Allis Engine Works to produce farm equipment.

The four-column white marble monument is of the Doric order—characterized by the two fluted central columns with no base resting directly on the stylobate, slightly curved and unadorned capital. The architrave (stone panel that traces around the monument just above the column) is truncated and plain, as is the frieze which is generally enhanced with triglyphs and bas-reliefs. The frieze in the Chalmer’s monument is adorned with a wreath on either side. The laurel wreath dates back to Roman times when soldiers wore them as triumphal signs of glory. The laurel was also believed to wash away the soldier’s guilt from injuring or killing any of his opponents. In funerary art the laurel wreath is often seen as a symbol of victory over death.

The monument’s cornice is topped with acanthus stone work called acroterion–a stylized palm leaf motif that can be found on classical Roman and Greek architecture. This motif has its origins in Egyptian art and architecture.

The monument was constructed for William and Joan Chalmers after the death of their son, Thomas.  William was the son of Thomas and Janet Tesler Chalmers, two Scottish-born immigrants to the United States.  Joan was the daughter of the famed private detective Allan Pinkerton and his wife, Joan Carfrae Pinkerton, also Scottish immigrants.

The story, nearly as old as humankind, goes that Joan’s father Allan did not want William and his only daughter, Joan, to get married and vehemently opposed their marriage.  William was described as a dashing and handsome young man and Joan was reported to be a striking brunette, both of them loved music and the arts.  And, as happens in many of these stories—the union between the two young people proceeded in spite of the objections of Joan’s father, October 21, 1878, two years after they had been introduced. The wedding took place at the Third Presbyterian Church with Dr. A. E. Kittredge officiating.

Allan Pinkerton’s prediction that William wouldn’t amount to much was wildly incorrect.  The super sleuth may have been a fine detective but he misjudged the character and drive of William Chalmers, the man who became his son-in-law, who inherited and grew his father’s company, Fraser & Chalmers, was President of the Commercial National Safe Deposit Company, was elected to the Chicago Board of Education, and had a long list of other accomplishments including: Director of World’s Columbian Exposition; President of the Commercial Club of Chicago; Director of the Field Museum of Natural History; Member of the Union League Club, Chicago Athletic Club, Lake Geneva Country Club, Saddle and Cycle Club, and the Engineers Club of New York.

Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois

The light rose-colored unpolished granite monument, built to honor William Peirce Anderson, is a bit of an enigma. The large neo-classic monument, with its Corinthian columns very nearly hides who is buried beneath.  The only clue is the bronze medallion in the center of the monument that bears a bas-relief profile of the celebrated Chicago architect.  There is no inscription carved anywhere in the stone.

Anderson was acclaimed for his for his neo-classical designs of some of the most iconic buildings in the city with big shoulders.  Anderson, who dropped William and was known by Peirce, studied at Harvard and the famed Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris.  Upon his return to the United States, Anderson joined the D.H. Burnham Company in 1900.  His first plumb assignment was the Marshall Field and Company Department Store at State Street and Randolph at Chicago.

After Daniel Burnham, the principle in D.H. Burnham architectural firm, died in 1912, Anderson joined Graham Burnham and Company as head of design.  He soon made partner at the firm of Graham Anderson, Probst and White which became the largest architectural firm in the United States.  In addition to Marshall Fields, he designed the Union Station and The Field Museum, each considered to be masterpieces.

The neo-classical monument dedicated to honor the famed architect is a fitting monument to Peirce Anderson, who died at age 54, a tribute to his love and ability to design classical buildings that are timeless and have remained beloved buildings in the Chicago cityscape.

If you have very good eyesight you can spot the small letters carved on the underside of the medallion portrait, the inscription reads, “1870 PEIRCE ANDERSON 1924.”